Interview: CNN, NYU, and most importantly, TCK

Images and words change the way we view the world, live in the world, live in and out of ourselves. Ema Yamazaki’s words and films have changed my understanding of how an increasingly large group of students, known as TCKS (Third Culture Kids), navigate their way through cultures, languages, and schools.  Her film, ‘Neither Here Nor There’ introduces us, in beautiful and profound ways, to the people who have lived lives across borders of identities and countries. Her interview here provides learned insights to educators, students, and all others about how to make art out of life.

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Can you describe in some detail a little about your background? Where did you grow up, go to school and where are you now?

I was born in Kobe, Japan - my mother is Japanese and my father is English. I grew up in Japan, but spent all summers and some winters in England at my grandparents' house throughout my childhood. I attended Japanese public school until I was 12, then switched over to an American international school for middle school and high school.  Then I went to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts to study film production, and have stayed in New York since graduating in 2012. 

You are, by your own admission, a TCK. For those unfamiliar with the term what is this?

The formal definition of a third culture kid is:  Third Culture Kid (TCK) is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents' culture. The TCK frequently builds relationships to all of the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture may be assimilated into the TCK's life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of similar background."
These days I use the term more casually - anyone who grew up juggling multiple cultures. Of course it's inevitable that with a word come a definition, but rather than being caught in the technicalities of it I prefer to use the term as a common word to start the conversation about the effects of growing with multiple cultures, whatever that means for each person.

TCKs have received relatively little attention in the media or by educational institutions. Why do you think this is so given the increased number of people moving across the globe?

Often times TCKs are invisible. It's not based on races or appearance and it's hard to spot a TCK or a group of TCKs. I think it's harder for institutions and the media to deal with something that they cannot put a face to or visually identify. I always question the American concept of "diversity" which often equals "race." It's hard to suggest 10 Caucasian American males can be "diverse" even if each of the individuals could have grown up in 3-4 different countries and are diverse in that way. I think this example relates to why being third culture is a lesser known phenomenal than say, being half-Asian.

From a background in the UK and Japan you decide to attend NYU for film school. Did the fact that New York was such a cosmopolitan city play a role in your decision? Were you surprised at the cultural shock of coming to the US? 

Looking back at my decision to come to New York for university, the fact that New York is such a cosmopolitan city may have played a role. At the time, when I visited New York before my senior year of high school, it just felt right. I also looked into schools in California but I think the biggest reason I felt more comfortable in New York was the fact that you didn't have to drive to get to places, just like where I grew up in Japan. Making a big move from Japan to New York, this similarity that I felt in my everyday life made the transition easier. Because I had attended an American/international middle school and high school and had friends from around the world including the US growing up, I think the culture shock must have been less of a shock for me than other people who came to the US with less exposure to other countries and cultures growing up. For me, the hardest thing I faced was people assuming I grew up in the US and expected me to know everything as though I'd grown up here. Because I don't really have a foreign accent and I am half white, I often didn't have the leeway to make mistakes that foreigners often make. I remember a cashier at a deli getting frustrated with me during my first month in New York because I could not figure out which coin was a dime and which was a nickel - they might have had more patience with me if I looked more like a foreign tourist, but she could not understand how someone with perfect English could not know such a thing, and thought I was messing with her. I have similar stories from my first internship in college where they needed me to go and by "Saltines and Seltzer" (brand names for plain cracks and carbonated water) and I had no clue what they were. It was almost like because I adapted to many aspects of living in the US pretty well, when something did come up that I didn't know, people saw it as me playing a joke on them and didn't consider I might not actually be familiar with certain things because I moved go the US when was 19.

At school you decided to make a film, Neither Here Nor There, about TCKS. Can you talk about why you decided to make this film?

I was really enjoying my time in college, but towards the end of my second year I gradually started feeling lost. As I moved around between New York, Japan and the UK for school breaks, and also spent time with my friends from international school (which is like another culture in itself) I felt like there were many versions of myself, and started to freak out that I didn't know which version of myself was actually who I was. As I realized that I didn't quite belong anywhere, I think I had a little bit of an identity crisis. This is when I came across the TCK bible book "Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds" by David Pollock and Ruth Van Reken.  It hit me hard. I had felt for so long that I couldn't share my confused feelings of having growing up in multiple cultures because many people around me saw it as a great privilege that I was very lucky to have had - I felt that way too. The book was the first time I realized it was also okay to have confused feelings, and I decided to explore this further through making a film and talking to other TCKs about their experiences. 

                                                   "Neither Here Nor There" Trailer
                                              

Can you talk a bit about the making of the film? How long did it take, how did you approach it etc. You said that you put an ad in about getting TCKS to ‘audition” I think you said that over 100 tried out but you ended up with a small number. What did you look for in those you chose?

I made the film as my senior thesis in film school. From starting the research until completing editing of the film, it took a little over a year. I started by reaching out to TCK communities I could think of, like the alumni network of my international school in Japan, and the New York TCK community Facebook group. I put together a basic questionnaire that I asked people to fill out. Overall I probably interacted with close to 100 people to decide who I would like to have in my film. I wanted to make sure the people in my film brought something different to the film, and could articulate their stories well. Since I was also trying to figure out my identity as I was making the film, it was also important that I learned something new about myself through talking to the subjects of the film. It was a thrill when I got an email back from Ruth, the co-author of the TCK bible book - she was a wonderful addition to the film. 

You have been a featured speaker at conferences around the world during screenings of your film/ what was this like and what did you learn? Do you think that the film accomplishes its goal of educating people or is it something that serves as an introduction to issues that are large and need more attention?

I feel like making the film was only a beginning to me learning about myself and the experiences that come with being a TCK. Through screening the film and hearing the reactions of various groups, I have learned much more than making the film itself. For screenings within the TCK communities, I've seen the impact that film can have on people who realize they are not alone in how they feel. In screenings for non-TCK people, many people found a way to relate to the film because in some ways we all battle the gap between who we appear to be and who we really are. There were a few occasions when people didn't see the relevance of the film in anyway - an executive at a major American TV network told me to make sure I have an audience that exists when I make films - he couldn't understand why I had made a film that didn't seem relevant to anything.  This showed me just how much certain people had no idea of the kind of lifestyle that more and more people are experiencing around the world. I think in many ways the film is just an introduction to the world of TCKs. If anyone becomes interested in even one of the topics mentioned in the film, they can explore it further. There are so many books now that explore the world of TCKs that I hope people can turn to once they learn about the ideas introduced in the film.

How did making the film change you? Would you change anything about it now if you could? Why did you include yourself in the film?

When I started making the film it was never the plan to include myself in the film. But during the editing process I realized that because the subject matter was exactly what I was struggling with myself and the film had been made through my eyes, it was almost impossible to complete the film without using myself as a narrator. I learned a lot about myself through the conversations I had with my film subjects, as well as the conversations I had with people at from screenings. I won't say I'd change anything in the film because those were my feelings about myself and the world that evolved around me while I made the film, but now, a few years later, I don't necessarily agree with all the things that are said in the film. I made the film at a time where I was fighting against the idea that many people thought that because I'd grown up traveling around, my life was perfect - I wanted to share our own set of struggles. I think because of this I didn't include as many positive things about growing up among cultures, as I needed to. Now seeing the experience more as a whole, I wish I had emphasized that point more. Making the film helped me be more comfortable with who I am, even if who I am is still changing.

You are now working for CNN and other media too. Can you describe what you are doing?

I work as a documentary filmmaker and TV editor. I'm interested in telling stories that bridge cultures, with a particular focus on Japan. My most recent film, Monk By Blood, is about young Japanese TCK who has the destiny of making over his family's Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan - but his story is complex because he grew up in US, is a DJ and dreams of becoming a chef, so he is constantly juggling many worlds. The film was made for Al Jazeera English and can be viewed on their ViewFinder program website. I am also involved documentaries, TV programs and non-fiction projects as an editor.

Zadie Smith, in a great essay, Speaking in Tongues, talks about how some people, like Eliza Doolittle in Shaw’s Pygmalion end up in the neither nor category—they no longer feel a part of the lower class but are not permitted to rise either. Is the message you give in your film transferable to class barrier like this too?

 As a filmmaker I can only make films about what I know. For me, this was the world of being a TCK. But I hope film can serve as an introduction to many topics, especially a broader discussion on identify and how we fit into this world, now we view others based in things we think we know about them, and so forth. As I mention at the end of the film I really now wonder what it even means to "fit in"- it seems like many of us want to, but I'm not quite sure what "fitting in" looks like anymore. I can't directly speak about class barriers but we live in a world where change is happening so quickly that I think more and more people feel as though they don't quite belong in where they came from when they grow up- I think this feeling can be created by many different experiences.

“Every moment happens twice: inside and outside, and they are two different histories.” 
― Zadie Smith, White Teeth

Smith also write about those who mange to bridge the gap so that they become both/and rather than neither/nor. Is this something that can happen to TCKs too? Have you managed to do this?

As Ken Tanabe, one of the participants of the TCK meeting in my film says, "do you not belonging anywhere or do you kind of belong everywhere?" Although my film focused on more of the issues that come with a TCK experience, the blessings and gifts go without saying. There are many positive things that come from growing up among many cultures, one of them bring that TCKs can become bridges between cultures. I certainly hope to do this as a Japanese filmmaker, as I feel that I am able to be an insider and an outsider to Japan at the same time. I know my relationship with Japanese culture can help me share stories about Japan that a foreign audience will not hear about otherwise, and also I can bring in stories from abroad to Japan. I hope I can one day feel not Neither Here Nor There, but rather, Here and Everywhere.

Ema’a words could serve as a workshop for TCK’s and for those who work with them. Her film, however, captures the range of people who fit this designation. Here is a link to Ema's film "Neither Here Nor There". The trailer should convince anyone to show the film as a part of their orientation programs for all students.

I was lucky enough to meet Ema when she came to show her film to a university community this spring. Her ability to speak movingly in person demonstrates she communicate in virtually every way one can. Her appearances at conferences and schools has inspired students to share stories and to connect on networks.

Her work with CNN, Al-Jazeera and other outlets assures me that we will continue to hear more from her in the coming years. Her newest film, which she mentions above, can be accessed here:

I wish to thank Ema for her willingness to share her story and her work.  I have worked with many TCKs over the years and I have found them to be among the most open and interesting people on the planet. When schools promote the need for globalization they should use these students as invaluable resources here and everywhere.

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Update 23 August 2016

For the past several weeks Ema has spent a great deal of time promoting her kickstarter campaign for a documentary film about the creators of Curious George. She worked tirelessly and her hard work paid off--literally.
Her Kickstarter campaign aimed to raise  $175,000. Here is what she did:
1,483 backers pledged $186,010to help bring this project to life.

I look forward to seeing this film. It is a compelling story. Congratulations Ema.